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Research Investigator

Employer
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Location
Michigan,United States
Closing date
23 Apr 2019

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Academic Discipline
Biological Sciences, Life sciences
Job Type
Research Related, Research Support
Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Full Time

How to Apply

A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

Who We Are

The Life Sciences Institute (LSI) is a multi-disciplinary research institute at the University of Michigan, strategically located as a bridge between the medical campus and the central-campus schools and colleges. Our mission is to advance the understanding of the fundamental processes of life, and to pioneer new ideas to improve human health.

The LSI’s world-class faculty members hold joint appointments at the LSI, where their labs are located, and a variety of schools and colleges across the university. They bring broad and diverse expertise — ranging from cell biology to medicine, from chemistry to structural biology. The institute’s philosophy is to provide our faculty and their teams with superior scientific tools and administrative support, allowing them to spend more time focused on what really matters — their research.

The institute’s administrative staff supports all aspects of unit operations including facilities, IT, human resources, finance, research administration, academic programs, communications and development.  

In addition to faculty labs, the LSI houses several core technology labs that support the research enterprise of the entire university, including a high-throughput screening center (Center for Chemical Genomics), a comprehensive cloning and macromolecular X-ray crystallography facility (Center for Structural Biology), a comprehensive microbial biodiversity, fermentation and metabolite analytics facility (Natural Products Discovery Core) and a state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy facility. The LSI also plays a key role in administering campus-wide programs like the U-M Program in Chemical Biology, Michigan Drug Discovery, and Michigan Life Sciences Fellows.

The LSI is committed to the principle that fostering diversity, equity and inclusion within the institute — and in the next generation of scientific leaders — is inseparable from our commitment to scientific excellence and achievement.

Job Summary

The successful candidate is expected to develop and manage a research project to determine the mechanism of action a set of small molecules which lower full-length mutant huntingin protein in affected fibroblasts and neurons. In addition, the candidate will develop studies to determine the feasibility of using this approach in animals. Major goals include extending preliminary findings that these small molecules change phosphoinositide lipid levels, autophagic flux, and mTOR signaling. Potential changes will be assessed in immortalized patient fibroblasts, patient lymphoblasts, primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts and neurons isolated from Huntington mouse models. The candidate will also determine the optimal conditions for treatment if cells with the small molecules, and pursue proteomic and RNA-Seq studies to identify other pathways which are changed. The candidate will design and pursue cell-based experiments to determine which of these pathways is responsible for lowering mutant huntingtin. In addition, the candidate will participate in animal studies of pathways that lower mutant huntingtin in cell models. This is collaborative project that involves multiple labs both within and outside of the University of Michigan. The candidate will have strong communication skills and the ability to analyze both their own data as well as analyze and evaluate data from our collaborators.

Required Qualifications*

A Ph.D. in biochemistry, cell biology or neuroscience with at least 4 years of postdoctoral experience. The candidate should have prior success in obtaining external funding, and a strong publication record. Required research skills include the isolation and culture of primary mouse glia, primary hippocampal and cortical neurons, and primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts, and the ability to transfect and infect these cell-types. Required research skills also include quantitative measurement in cells of all seven phosphoinositide lipids, immunofluorescence microscopy, image processing and statistical analysis. Finally, the candidate should have the ability to plan and perform experiments at a high level of independence, and have considerable experience supervising the research activities of students. The candidate should have evidence of working well in a team, and in sharing the project with post-doctoral researchers and graduate students.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks.  Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

All applications for this position must be received by Monday, April 23, 2019.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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